Until the Shadows Fade
by Lionus
Summary: It was never going to be easy, but they couldn't protect him forever. TPS au/family-verse.


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Fairy Tail.

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><p>Levy propped her chin in her palm as she chuckled at something Gajeel said. "Yeah, but how's that supposed to do either of you any good if you wind up punching a hole through the other's thick skull?"<p>

The iron dragon slayer rolled his eyes and tipped back the mug in front of him. "Lemme worry about the logistics, shorty."

"Ah, _logistics_. Nice word, are you trying to tempt me?"

"Nah, but _you_ would suspect." He poked her forehead and snorted at her wry expression. "Damn nerd."

Levy scoffed and feigned a scandalous countenance. "Honestly, what kind of a husband-"

Gajeel bowed over to her level, brushing his nose and the cool line of metal studs against her temple. "The _best_."

From their table next to the the dragon slayer and script mage, Alzack guffawed. His knowing smile not dimming even as Bisca quickly made to chide him for eavesdropping. Levy ignored the rowdy calls from Macao and Wakaba from across the hall - encouraging shouts that it was long past time for them to give their kid a younger sibling - rolling her eyes as she pushed Gajeel's face away from her own. His low, rumbling _'gihi'_ reverberated into her palms. "Oh, give me a _break_."

In a stroke of excellent timing, an old habit learned and agreed upon long before the dragon slayer's sing settled on her finger, Pantherlily interrupted his partner from giving Levy some smarmy retort. Their conversation about making further adjustments to the Exceed's Musica Sword drifted out of focus as Levy took a long pull from her warm mug of tea. A low buzz settled over the guild that day, steady as the voices of her guild mates eased into their own conversations. She smiled into her mug, that undoubtedly had more to do with Gray and Natsu being conveniently kept to separate corners of the hall. The script mage allowed her gaze to drift, lazily tailing Mirajane as she cleaned the length of the bar and Cana boisterously fed the takeover mage gossip.

Not that there was much left to be predicted on.

Most of their favorite topics were long since settled down and parents, unless they planned to place another round of bets on second or third births. Levy made a mental note to ask them later, she had her eye on a few possibilities. Mother's intuition played in her favor far more than she ever let on.

Absently, she wondered where her son and Sting had gone. Asuka had vouched to keep her keen eye on them - even the youngest dragon slayers couldn't help but be a little impressed by the older girl, nothing got by her. She was every bit her mother's daughter. It made the teenager the perfect, and sometimes unfortunate, candidate to watch the offspring of Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox. She thought she recalled Rogue mentioning the library; no doubt she and Lucy would be the ones to finally pull their offspring from the building to give poor Asuka a lunch break.

She waited for a break in conversation as Gajeel and Lily took simultaneous drinks from their mugs. "Gajeel, you think its time we took mercy on Asuka?"

"What, and ruin the perfectly kid-free moment? 'Sides, that spur-wearin' ankle biter is payin' her dues for when she was his age and wouldn't allow me a moment's peace."

Levy swatted his side and grinned. "Oh, don't you even. You couldn't convince me that you were annoyed by Asuka or even wanted five minutes from Rogue if you actually _tried_. I know you're both dying to work on my birthda-"

Her words were cut off as the front doors slammed open with enough force to have them cracking the walls when they hit. Half finished thoughts died on everyone else's tongue as they whipped around in their seats to get a good look at the entrance. With the sudden silence, a single voice echoed harshly around them.

"Hey, watch the door!," Kinana hollered from the kitchens. "Next repair is coming out of whoever's mission reward!"

Wakaba snorted into his pipe as the small shadow tramped down the front stairs. "Good luck, Levy. Looks like he's gonna be as about a gentle walker as his old man is!"

The initial noise of the door banging against the wall had Levy startling in her seat, the rest of her words falling from her mouth as the familiar, wild head of black hair made a beeline for their table. It left Wakaba's joke to fall on deaf ears. Gajeel tensed minutely, but it was more than enough for her to pick up on after all these years together. The momentary hush that fell over the hall left something icy trailing down her spine - worse case scenarios of broken bones or hearts played on loop. Overthinking born from years of being Mother.

Questions about Sting and Asuka and accidents and nasty older kids flew through her mind - dread filling her as she remembered Sting liked to walk along the ledge by the river like his mother had when she was younger.

The low set to Rogue's brow and the stern haunch in his shoulders proved he was just fine as he made a fast track for his parents, rudely ignoring the confused murmurs and friendly greetings from the other members. She felt more than saw Gajeel straighten in his own seat, this was someone wholly different from their son. So harshly in contrast from quiet and somber as he would usually make his way through the guild - accepting everyone's greeting and even allowing Juvia to place the stray kiss to his cheek if she managed to catch him. His dark hair and red eyes made him Gajeel Redfox's without a second thought, but as his small frame shook with anger and a cold emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on, her entire world caught in her throat as an old memory - foreign and nearly unreal in their world of peace and happiness - bubbled to the surface.

Like an old film reel, a freshly recruited mage of Fairy Tail, Gajeel Redfox resentfully trumped his way through their halls and glued her feet to the floor without saying a word.

"Rogue, stop!"

The doors burst open once more and she shook her head of the thought, her son coming back into focus as he closed the distance between them. Asuka stooped in the entryway and called for Rogue again, her plea mixed with a tumble of words she barely caught - _"I tried to tell him he wasn't allowed.", "I'm so sorry."_ - panting to catch her breath. For one moment before she went to her daughter's side, Bisca caught Levy's eye. She felt her stomach finally drop, something was _very_ wrong.

His small hand slammed onto their table, Gajeel's drink jumping in its cup and even upending Lily's small weight from his spot. A sound was barely a _thwap_, but strong enough in its persistence to silence the entire room.

Rogue moved his hand and stared at his father, not breaking eye contact. A dangerous challenge bit at the air as her eyes left Rogue to drop to the table.

The newspaper had long since yellowed, its edges curling and split, but the headline clear as day. The picture had even faded from the years of dust and neglect - she remembered the crisp white paper as the official reports and articles had hit the guild's front stoop. She remembered how stiff her fingers felt in comparison to the smooth paper and crinkling her nose as the scent of newsprint mixed unpleasantly with antiseptic all those years ago. Bile rose in her throat and the air was yanked from her lungs as the tree decorated with a bruised and beaten Shadow Gear stared back up at her.

Her throat went dry and her voice sounded foreign, even to her. "How did you get this?"

Rogue didn't look at her, training his eyes on the matched set in front of him. "Turns out McGarden carries quite a weight down at the library and they were all too thrilled about a son that showed the same interests as his mother. I doubt that _that_ matters, though."

Levy turned away from her son, her world falling from under her as she took in the stoic rage burning in Gajeel's eyes. He had never looked down at their child in such a matter and it frightened her. Seconds ago she'd just been teasing him about his affinity - a soft spot a mile wide - for their son. She knew though. She knew he wasn't viewing Rouge with such abject anger, it was himself.

"When exactly did you plan on telling me?"

"When you were a little older. _Please_, Rogue, you have to under-"

"_Understand_? Mom, what's there to understand?!" He threw his wry arms out to his sides, taking up more space than what should be capable of someone his size. He glared down at the guild hall floor, his lip catching under a small fang. "You're both disgusting." For the first time, Rogue met her eye and the cold betrayal that lied in the slit irises _shook_ her. "How could you? He _hurt_ you. He hurt the others too." His arm swept out across the hall, it took all of her willpower not to follow his gesture, fearing she might make eye contact with any one of them. The nod in Lucy's direction was unmissable - nor the juvenile growl that further choked the air from her lungs as Sting took his mother's hand in his own. "And you _forgave_ him?"

Levy shrunk back in her chair from his biting words, she wanted to be angry and the emotion was definitely there, but his words shattered her heart. "Rogue, if you think you're the first to ask that question, you're mistaken. I spent _months_ - never mind the fact that if I hadn't forgiven him, you wouldn't-"

"I don't care, it's sick." Whatever strength he pulled from his fury cracked as a shudder finally wracked his frame. "I don't want to be his son."

"That's enough, Rogue." With a speed that hadn't been showcased in the recent years of peace, Pantherlily jumped from the table. Using his magic to take his battle form, he plucked the child up without any trouble. "This isn't how you handle these things."

He fought against the large Exceed's arm - wriggling around until he hung upside down in Lily's hold. The soft _click_ of heels stilled him and pulled everyone's attention away from their table, Juvia solemnly making her way over. "Juvia thinks that if you want to be angry, then you should know the entire story. You shouldn't yell at your mother and father."

"What? So you can excuse his-"

With a wistful glance over her shoulder to the table she had been at with Gray and Cana, the water mage took a deep breath. "Juvia was a Phantom too, I did just as many bad things."

Gajeel folded in his seat, scrubbing a hand harshly over his face as Rogue's chest worked around suppressing another silent sob. The dragon slayer cursed under his breath.

"I think…" Nobody had noticed the takeover mage's appearance at Lily's elbow until she was tucking the boy properly in the Exceed's hold - serving to bring a memory, unbidden, to the cat's focus. "…It's time for everyone to go back to their business. Lily, why don't you take Rogue for some fresh air, hm?"

The dragon slayer watched as his partner and Juvia left the guild with Rogue nearly completely shielded by Lily's large form. He looked so _small_. Gajeel took a deep breath and closed his eyes, lest they fall on the newspaper and more flashes of that night passed through his mind. A stomach that could handle iron wasn't doing him any favors today - but he had expected that. No amount of control was a match for that night and nausea crashed over him, his throat worked to swallow the shakiness from his voice. "Levy?"

The script mage sat perfectly still, eyes devoid and looking right past the guild's walls to something else. She turned her shoulder away from his raised hand and exhaled deeply through her nose. "You should go talk to your son."

* * *

><p>Unease ate at his gut like rust.<p>

Whatever leftover energy he had to feel rage with was geared toward the library for allowing a ten-year-old access to restricted archives, but mostly - _always_ - himself. He didn't expect for any of it to go easy, but this…He had never expected this to be a possible option in the way things could turn out. Rogue didn't deserve it; he was only a _kid_. But damn it all if Levy ought to be on the receiving end of the whole mess. Gajeel shoved his hands in his pockets and continued his trek through town, ignoring the park with a cold dread and prayer that Lil' hadn't taken Rogue there.

His partner was smarter than that, but fear had a way of eating at his assurance and sense.

Gajeel stopped at the mouth of main street, idly noting that he had stopped not too far from Lucy's old apartment. It took more focus than he cared to admit, but he finally caught the trail of familiar scents and followed them to the riverbank that ran through Magnolia. Their backs faced him, Lily was down to his normal size and Juvia looked for all the world to be the size of girl herself as she hunched over. The tang of humidity bit at his tastebuds and the heady atmosphere flooded his sense of smell as he neared them.

His stomach churned at the thought of enlightening someone so young on Phantom Lord's precious Kurogane and Rain Woman, whether they were his kid or not. It was best if Phantom Lord rotted away like the remains of the guild hall, but the Fairy Tail part of him knew that that could never be the case. The future would be nothing if there was no past to learn from - shaping and reforming a better path for everyone. Gajeel scrubbed at his face as Makarov's voice echoed warmly in his head. These were his sins and he couldn't forget them or let them die away like faded photographs. It would have been throwing everything, Makarov's invitation and mercy and Levy's love and forgiveness, back in their faces.

He just wished he'd had more time to prepare.

If there was such a thing as being prepared when it came to the particular subject at hand.

A sick part of him was glad Lily had stepped up to speak with him first, the Exceed had sort of stumbled upon the story by accident not long after Gajeel had announced himself as Levy's partner for the S-Class exam. Though, a full grown Exceed who had dedicated his life to a prejudice military was a fair bit more understanding than a kid and had the mental cognizance to digest it all. _His_ world hadn't been flung into the stratosphere to come crashing down with the knowledge.

That didn't mean that Lily hadn't been shocked and more than a little angry himself…

Taking a deep breath and willing his father's infamous strength and wisdom to lend itself to him, Gajeel sat down beside Pantherlily. Juvia was in the middle of explaining the inner workings of their old guild and their less than fun childhoods and his hope for any semblance of will or strength soured with the warm drink he had downed back at the guild. Gajeel kept his eyes on his ex-guildmate, but he felt the calculating stare Rogue was giving him out of the corner of his eye all the same.

"It is…Difficult, Rogue. Everyone has done something they regret and Juvia and Gajeel have done everything they can to prove themselves and to heal the wounds they left behind. Juvia thinks you should listen to your dad now."

The kid snorted, "You gonna try to convince me you deserve all this too?"

For a brief second, Juvia's eyes blanked and a raindrop slid down Gajeel's temple as Pantherlily set his paw over Juvia's clasped hands in her lap.

"You'd be surprised what you'd do for some food." That seemed to quiet the boy for the moment. Oddly, the thought how much of a fit Levy would have thrown if she saw them sitting so close to the water rose to his mind. He continued, "For future reference - watch it. That's not what she's tryin' to tell you at all, brat. Yer supposed to be smart like yer mom, so listen." He took a deep breath and scratched the back of his head, shooting a look to his longtime guild mate. "_Deserving_ is the last thing either of us has ever felt. We owed it to Fairy Tail to ensure they were safe and happy, to keep anyone from repeating what we did. It hasn't been easy for one day. They all look at us like we've never done them one wrong now, when we've done the absolute worst. That, we do deserve. It's not easy to take that kindness like it's not messed up to hand out to people like us.

"Metalicana hadn't been gone for more'n two weeks when I stumbled into Oak Town and I was still angry, adamant to do whatever stupid thing I could to get his attention so he'd come back and lecture me 'r somethin' about my attitude. I don't want you to think that I'm defending 'em, but Phantom Lord wasn't always what it was. The mages were more than a little rough around the edges and bent the rules more often than not, but it didn't go to hell until later. As the years went on Jose got lost in his own philosophy and ideals and…I don't know what I was thinkin' - just that I wasn't. I didn't question him, I was at the top in the ranks of the guild by that time and I liked the prestige. Plus, people were too scared to bother me, so I was able to take what I wanted and be left alone." Gajeel furrowed his brow and glowered down at Rogue, before glancing back up to Juvia. "Maybe you're not old enough to hear all of this yet…"

"I'm not scared."

"I know yer not, but…this is kinda toein' the line of age appropriate details and yer ma's gonna wanna have a say in what you hear and when you do. Speakin' of which - she's stronger than I could have imagined and she forgave me even when I couldn't forgive myself. Most days, I still _can't_. I get flashbacks on rare occasion, usually nightmares, but they're enough that I wake up drenched in sweat and physically sick. They've actually stopped bein' regular since you were born…Ya gotta realize that anything and everything you could say, I've already said to myself."

"So what makes the difference?"

Ignoring Rogue's attempt to squirm away from his outreached hand, Gajeel set his wide palm to the kid's head. He gently pushed the long, wild strings away from Rogue's face and tilted his head back gently to look him in the eye. "I see her with _you_. How happy you make her and how happy you are, much you love each other, and I think it's the tiniest bit okay. I can't blame you for bein' angry. In fact, I'm a little proud that you look out for yer mom so much."

Rogue snorted and kicked the water again. "Learned from the best." His eyes burned with anger still, but it had eased since his storming of the guild.

"Yer going to apologize to her and listen to what she has to say too."

"Figured that."

"Rogue." The child sat perfectly still for a few beats in rebellion before answering his father's command. Gajeel's eyebrows furrowed and he leaned close to the smaller boy, "I know you were just stickin' up for her and upset that she was hurt, but if you ever yell at your mother like that again, I want you to keep in mind that some dragons _will_ eat their young."

He rolled his eyes at his father's threat, but nodded once all the same. While he knew his dad would never chow down on his scrawny arms, Rogue did know that there would be a consequence for insolence in the future. From the corner of his eyes he watched Gajeel slouch forward as he clasped his hands in his lap. The faded image of his mom and uncles strung up on a tree that was within walking distance of their house resurfaced in his jumbled up thoughts and just like that, the day had finally caught up to him.

Crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks as he sat up straight, the force of his sob too overwhelming for him to hide that long after.

Juvia's comfort was instantaneous, her long fingers carded through his hair as she tucked herself forward to press a kiss to the top of his head. "It's okay, Rogue." She chuckled, the sound wet and choked. "Don't cry, you'll get your Aunt Juvia started and then, we'll all be soaked to the bone."

"C'mon." Without warning, Gajeel scooped Rogue up and stood, offering his free hand to help Juvia up too. Rogue squirmed in his hold, but his father's grip was unshakeable. He fought the blooming of relief in his chest, he wanted to still be mad. Thunder rumbled in the distance and rain began to fall, making him freeze up and eliciting a curse from Lily.

The rain woman squinted up into the big sky with wide eyes, holding her hands up as she looked back to Gajeel. "That's not Juvia."

Gajeel scoffed and shook his head. "We're gonna head to the house, if Levy's still at the guild-"

"Juvia will tell her, no worries."

He nodded and muttered for her to be careful as he took off in wide strides for their street.

Rogue raised his chin and glared at Gajeel. "Let me go."

"No, we gotta move fast and yer short legs are gonna-"

"You hurt mom." Rogue beat his fists against Gajeel's chest, kicking and squirming to loosen his hold. "You hurt her, it's not fair."

Gajeel tightened his grip, tucking his kid's head to his shoulder and rubbing his back. "I know…I know…"

* * *

><p>The moment they opened the front door, Levy came from the bathroom in the hallway as she steadied a mountain of dry towels in her arms. And if Rogue's nose was correct, they'd just come from the dryer.<p>

"There you are! I was getting worried." She kneeled in front of Rogue, handing a towel over his head to Gajeel and starting to do the same for him when she caught herself. The script mage bit her lip as she looked Rogue over, unsure if she should wrap him in the giant towel like she used to when he was little or step away. The latter idea dealt a pang to her heart. "Are you okay?"

Gajeel stepped around them, toweling off his hair as he toed off his boots. "We're gettin' there. I'm gonna go change."

Rogue shifted in his spot, feeling his cheeks grow red when his dad nodded to Levy before he disappeared down the hallway.

"I laid some dry clothes out on your bed, they should still be warm if you hurry." She worried the corner of the towel with her hand, her eyebrows drew together when she looked up at him.

Carefully, he took the towel that sat in her lap, quickly dragging it over his hair a few times before tucking it around himself. He didn't want to think on it anymore.

Rogue stepped closer to her and lowered to her lap, pressing his face into her shoulder should he meet her eye and lose his resolve. Her arms were around him in seconds and she held him tightly, not even noticing that the rain water was soaking through her clothes too. "I-"

"Shhh, you don't have to say anything. It's so much to take in, but you don't have to be brave for us." Her hand smoothed over his hair, the tips of her fingers barely brushing over his cheek. If Sting saw Rogue now, he'd probably tease him for acting like such a momma's boy, but Rogue couldn't bring himself to care. His anger and sadness and guilt as the words he hollered still weighed nastily on his tongue were unimportant in comparison to the woman that had the world of words at her feet and slayed dragons in her spare time.

His own hand snaked out from the folds of the towel to twine with her hand at his shoulder. She pressed her mouth to his temple and just like that, the big, bad, heavy world melted from the tiny span of his shoulders and released its ugly hold on his tongue. "I'm _sorry, _momma."

"I know, heart. I'm sorry too."

Rogue pulled away from her shoulder, sniffling as he wiped his sleeve over an eye. "What're you sorry for?"

"For you finding out, for it happening this way, for not at least telling you _something_ so the rest wouldn't come as such a shock." He saw her eyes glisten and his stomach flipped, he hated seeing her cry - the sight never settled right. She was one of the strongest and happiest people he knew. "Never mind that right now, we'll talk in a bit." Levy wound the towel tighter around his shoulders and rubbed her palms over the downy material. "We need to get you changed before you get sick."

"Mh." Rogue nodded, scuttling past her to retreat to his room. He ducked his head shamefully as he passed Gajeel in the hallway, darting into his room and shutting the door.

He took a deep breath, this was not how he planned on this going - not that he had a plan to begin with other than total and complete confrontation. Crying on his old man's shoulder and falling into his mom's arms weren't options he had even remotely considered. Yet here he was, swaddled in a dry towel and the scent of his father's shirt still faint on his nose. One way or another, he was going to take his time peeling off his clothes and hanging them on the bed posts to try to form an actual plan.

Rogue finished and poked is head out of the doorway, halfway expecting to meet Gajeel in the hallway again, he nearly startled himself when it was void of anyone- or a voice echoing down it telling him to pick up the pace before anybody got any older. He craned his neck, he needed to get the feel of the situation before he just barreled in there. If they were expecting him to be angry, he'd strive for something more subdued, like solemn. Or if it was sadness, then he'd work up the overly expressive eyes that he came by from his mother.

In truth, he wasn't sure _what_ to feel.

It had all been very clear initially - nothing but anger and hurt too deep, too _big,_ for his body.

Now, it had warped into something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

He moved his head a little more to the left and he finally saw them. Their words didn't quite reach him, but he understood enough to know that they were trying to work up their own courage too as his dad smoothed his mother's hair back. A blush sprung to the boy's cheeks as the older dragon slayer tipped the script mage's chin up to kiss her. It wasn't the first time he'd seen them kiss, but it was still weird to see. Especially when they weren't aware he was watching. She pulled away first to rest her head under the dragon slayer's chin, his wide palms brushing up and down her back to comfort her.

Maybe they were just as unsure on what to feel as he was.

He took a deep breath and held it, the buzzing in his head quieting as he slowly exhaled, and started the trek back down the hallway - the stretch of carpet seeming to get longer, inch by inch.

Rogue still waited patiently for a sarcastic remark about how he seemed to be taking his sweet time, but it never came. He unabashedly hung by the entryway to the living room, still halfway hiding behind the wall. His dad met his eye, demanding that the boy not look away with emotion in the bloodied irises. He'd heard his mother talk about their eyes before - the color itself was startling, but when they wanted to, they could command an entire room with one look and those around them couldn't help but to listen and watch. His dad had said that had more to do with the dragon magic and genetics working within them than just blinking or twitching eyebrows, though.

Gajeel didn't make a noise as he mouthed something to him.

"_It's okay."_

Like the toy yoyo Rogue had when he was five, he was drawn in and curled into place without a complaint. He sat on the couch, near the end where his dad's armchair was. Levy rounded the corner from the kitchen, without a trace of his timidness as she placed a glass of water in his hands and smiled like their world wasn't unraveling before them.

Rogue shook his head, all these thoughts about string were getting ridiculous, and took a sip of water.

* * *

><p>She settled in front of him on the coffee table, taking his hands in hers to smooth her thumbs over his wrists. "Fairy Tail's always been about second chances and exceptions - things that aren't supposed to be possible simply <em>are<em>. Children are raised by dragons and gain their powers, runaway princesses become mages, and cats can fly and speak. These people live through the odds and defy them with a smile on their faces and sometimes, even people you think can only ever be bad, are good.

"Love isn't always easy or simple, but it's no less happy when it's the right person. Rogue, it took us so long to figure it out ourselves, we didn't even realize what was happening until we were more patches of gauze and bruises than actual people and had been taking turns on sacrificing our lives for the other. When your father attacked us-" Levy didn't pause, but his eyes couldn't help but to flick over his father as his unreadable features cracked for just a moment and his large body stiffened.

"-I had no plans of getting close to him. I didn't even think he'd stay in the guild after he got enough money to take care of himself. He recognized my discomfort and kept his distance, only got close enough to save me a hand full of times - situations I wouldn't be able to handle alone, mind you - and he even let Jet and Droy make their peace with their own anger." Levy shrugged and looked to Gajeel for help, but he only shrugged back at her. She rolled her eyes and continued, "After that, something shifted and the bad parts of him fell away like clods of mud. Like that time you and Sting decided to wrestle in the mud and then walked through my freshly mopped house." Levy twixed his nose, running her hands down from his cheeks to his shoulders. "Gajeel and Juvia became very different people when Makarov gave them the chance to walk a different path. It took a long time, we met when I was 17 and I'm - well, my age isn't the focus here, but it's been a long time."

Rogue bit his lip to keep from laughing when his dad hissed the number under his breath.

Levy swatted his knee, then took his small hands back in hers. This time, she laced their fingers together and squeezed. More of his nerves were chipped away, with the grace of a mother and the understanding of a child's hurt. "_Anyways_, you're ten, so you can do the math and see that it wasn't something quick or remotely smooth. I didn't fall in love with the Black Steel Gajeel of Phantom Lord that hurt me, my team, my best friend, and guild."

"_Lev." _Her name wasn't quite a croak, but the noise was thin and more than just a hair pleading. He looked sick and Rogue thought back to the nightmares his dad told him about having. He'd once heard Natsu tell Sting that sometimes nightmares escape in the daytime and Rogue wondered if that wasn't what was happening to him whenever his mom called Gajeel Black Steel.

"I fell in _love_ with a complete idiot that loves his cat-" Her grin spread then, wide and true like usual and another piece of Rogue's heart felt okay again.

Gajeel deflated in his chair, crossing his arm's over his chest and petulantly placing his socked feet on the coffee table. "Lil's an _Exceed_."

"His guild, and whether he'll admit to it or not, the other dragon slayers that have come and gone along the way. Gajeel, a mage of Fairy Tail, loves fiercely and protects with every breath he has while putting that giant clodhopper he calls a foot in his even bigger _mouth_ every once in awhile. Someone that teaches children when he gets the chance and trains his nest to the best of their potential. That's the man I fell in love with and married and the person that you made a father." Rogue glanced down awkwardly to his feet, watching them dangle over the hardwood.

When he didn't look up from his feet, she sighed. Levy stood and tucked herself next to him on the couch, situating him as close as she could to her. "Alright, let me ask you this and then, we're going to end the discussion for now, mmkay?" He nodded his head, tickling the underside of her neck and chin with his long hair. "Knowing what you know now, Rogue, I want you to answer me honestly. Do you think he'd hurt either of us?"

Rogue had never seen a stone wall crumble, but he guessed it looked a lot like his dad closing his eyes and whipping his head away. Gajeel's broad hands carded through his hair and the rubble of that stone wall fell heavy in Rogue's stomach. The question had surprised him, not one he had bothered to think of himself, but the answer was no less clear because of his minute hesitation. "No, of course not."

"Then that's all you need to definitively know tonight. It's okay to be confused or lost on how to feel." She stretched forward and grabbed for Gajeel's arm - tugging on his sleeve until the man relented and raised to flop down on the other side of Rogue.

He was thrown against his dad's broad side from the sudden weight shift and one of his strong arm settled over the back of the couch. He didn't flinch or feel uncomfortable, only more safe and mildly irritated and even a little happy - as against the odds that emotion was at a time like the one they found themselves in.

"None of this happened over the course of a day for us - it all happened in steps, some tiny and some much, much bigger. There wasn't some random, built-up confession and everything was okay and we were in love. It doesn't need to happen in a day for you as you process what you've learned. You take as long as you need to and, as you get older, we'll tell you more. We can set up time for you to talk to Makarov or Jet and Droy when they get back from their mission or you can speak to Natsu or Mirajane or _anyone_. Even if you need a weekend with Metalicana to work things out, we can arrange that as well."

Gajeel tossed his head against the back of the couch and groaned, "You get that old tin can goin' and he'll never stop…_again_."

He turned back to his dad, his thin brows rising high on his forehead. "Pops was mad too?"

Levy waved her hand. "Ignore him, he's still bent out of shape that even after he _more_ than made up for his sins and everything had long been settled with everyone by the time Metalicana came back, he still received a very stern lecture."

Gajeel snorted, "Understatement of the century and unfortunately, I can't repeat that particular talkin' to for the language he used - as much as I know you would _love_ to hear about me gettin' chewed out by my old man." He sat up, leaning forward to rest his arms over his knees. His gaze swept to Levy, then back to Rogue. "Speaking of which."

"What?" Rogue turned to his mother in confusion.

"You're grounded for a week for being disrespectful. You'll be apologizing to the library for using tactics to get into restricted archives and jeopardizing their jobs, to Kinana for slamming the guild doors, and to everyone else for ignoring them and interrupting their afternoon. Now," She cleared her throat and leaned down to him, he failed in his attempt to squirm away when he only succeeded in cornering himself against Gajeel's side as she kissed his head. "How about we decide what to do for dinner? What sounds good?"

Rogue swallowed, looking up nervously to Gajeel. "Breakfast?"

The dragon slayer breathed deeply, a small smile slowly working its way across his face. He ruffled Rogue's damp hair, making the strands stick up in random chunks, and Rogue let himself, finally, fully relax into his dad's lap. "I think I can manage that."

He bit his lip - arguments and anger were never this easy and they couldn't be okay just like that. In her odd way of always knowing, Levy winked down at him and his dad's arm wound around his body to scratch lightly just under his shoulder blade. Their quiet ways of telling them more than what they had words for - he was safe and loved and forgiven, not blamed for a second, and nothing would change how they felt for him. He wryly thought it sounded a lot like one of Master Makarov's speeches his mother was infamous for repeating. Rogue allowed a small corner of his mouth pull up. "Can I help?"

Gajeel raised his brow. "Are you going to burn the pancakes again?"

"_Dad."_

Gajeel stood, taking Rogue with him - holding him over his broad shoulder to hang upside down. "Fine, c'mon. I'm starving."

His face turned red and he smacked his fists against Gajeel's back, wriggling in his strong hold for a completely different reason._ "Daaaaaad!"_

* * *

><p>Levy slumped into the cushions - just like that, a window had been opened and the tension went rushing out. Far and away, it allowed her to breathe easier. She listened to the noises of clanking dishes and the low click of the stove being turned on. She held a chuckle in as she swore she caught the tell-tale <em>splat<em> of an egg on the floor, the low rumble of her husband's voice drifting from the kitchen; though she couldn't decipher what he'd said. If the script mage were to judge by the scandalized, childlike intake of breath, it was most likely a swear. She shook her head and stood, making her way for the kitchen. "I better _not_ be the one that winds up cleaning away that egg."

Things weren't totally fixed, this tangled chapter of their lives wasn't over, but they'd make it; just as they always had. She worked to remind herself that if this was the worst that happened - Rogue being too mischievous like his father and too wise like her, where his learning curve shot far ahead of the others as it spiraled and speared through the air like magic - they would be just fine in the long run.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Saff's Christmas gift! She's been on a huge TPS kick lately, so I let her pick from a few unfinished projects for me to spruce up for her. It was great getting to know Saff this year and I can't wait to get closer in the new year, she's a gift. Thank you. I hope this covered your mighty need of some gajevy/tps family comfort and 'hurts so good'.

I had no idea going into this that 'sprucing up' would get this project to almost 7k. And I am reminded why my stories/chapters are kept relatively short.

I've never been satisfied with any of the 'kids find out' stories on here. With no offense to the writers, it just never really hit the spot for what I was looking for. I wanted to show that kids are very capable of feeling raw emotion and aggression in their anger with serious situations, I think they're often short-changed by adults in what they can do and handle. Lastly, I needed a new take on this where their kid didn't just _ask_ how they met and Gajeel or Levy attempted to gloss over details or use a partial truth to make it sound like a fairy tale.

**Reminder:** I stopped writing in October, only making this brief return to write and publish some Christmas fics. After that, I'm going back to retirement. I got burnt out on writing, so please stop asking/telling me to update on my other stories. And no, my unfinished stories aren't up for adoption. I may come back one day, but I don't know. Only time will tell. A huge thank you to those on here and tumblr that have given me such kind words of encouragement and support.


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